Thursday, February 21, 2013

Friendship Muffins

Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a special affection for leaving mysterious goodies on people's doorsteps. My first True Crush (besides Superman) was Danny. I really had a serious crush on him, but I was too shy to confess. So, I made him a little care package, rode my bike to his house, left it on his doorstep, rode my bike home, and called him and told him to look on the doorstep. Then I hung up! ha ha. Nothing ever became of that crush (Danny just got married last month, in fact), but we are still pals after all these years.

Fast forward a few decades, and it was time for another front porch drop-off. I've got a super awesome friend, who has been working really hard lately. She's in grad school (which is hard enough), plus she's got two awesome little kiddos to look after. I think she is really awesome, and I wanted to let her know how much I admire her and appreciate her... so I turned to the universal gesture of love and support: baking!

I made two big batches of Friendship Muffins: a batch of Mocha Muffins from Vegan Diner (back row), and Applesauce Oat Bran Muffins from Veganomicon(front row). I hadn't ever made either of these recipes before, but they both turned out really great. I'll confess that I kept a couple of each - I had to make sure I wasn't delivering icky duds!

It always seems to me that a baked good delivery should include one batch of goodies that speak directly to the spirit - even if they are a bit naughty - and another batch of goodies that speak to the body and are full of nutrition and goodness. The Mocha Muffins definitely deliver a caffeinated blast of love to the spirit - with espresso powder and chocolate chips they really pack a yum punch. The Applesauce Oat Bran muffins, on the other hand, are really quite nutritious but don't taste boring at all. They've got some nice warming spices and a little apple hint from the applesauce.

Once they were all packed up, I added a little card and a cute dishtowel with doggies on it, and left it on the front doorstep... This time I didn't call to harass her though, since I knew she'd find them when she came home from school! :)

These muffins have now saved my life on like four separate occasions when I began to despair and then was like NO! The time for despair, it is not! The time to pull a friendship muffin out of the freezer is NOW!

Thanks again. You're a superstar and I feel so lucky to have such a thoughtful friend (who also likes to bake).

I am so glad!! That was just what I hoped... right when things were getting crappy or overwhelming, you'd remember that you had muffins in the freezer (and friends across town!). They are like little muffin hugs. :)

I would like to show some gratitude to superb call. I live through and felt incredible: -)I have a blogging site by way of body cooking my own self for those who are serious in taking up. You can find it at http://recipes-for-food.com

You're such a sweet friend!! It makes me happy that you made someone else so happy! :)

There's such a lift that comes from the middle-of-the-week, no-reason, and just-because gifts. They weren't expected, which makes them all the more special. I especially liked this first line of yours: "Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a special affection for leaving mysterious goodies on people's doorsteps." I'm the same way! When I was small, I'd often draw pictures, leave them on our neighbor's doorstep, knock, and run away. I always enjoyed May Day for its simple baskets left hanging on the door. And I'll always remember the times that I was surprised by a ringing doorbell, only to find no one there except for a surprise.